


Just for Work

by ifelse95



Category: Club Penguin
Genre: Dinner, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Shenanigans, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Light-Hearted, M/M, Romance, Wine, god im laugfhing im so nervous to post this lol pls dont kill me, what else do i tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 16:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18898819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifelse95/pseuds/ifelse95
Summary: 404 is a PSA agent with an interesting relationship with the organization's most wanted villain, Herbert P. Bear. Recently being given a mission to collect intelligence on the pesky bear, 404 decided to take a straight forward approach, and have dinner with him. Just for work purposes. Totally for work. Not a date at all. Doesn't even feel like a date.Ah, now there's wine.





	Just for Work

“Okay!”

 

404 stared at himself in the mirror, rather intently, for a good few seconds. “This is an important mission! Nothing weird!”

 

Him and his reflection furrowed their brows, and in an instant, his cheeks began to burn.

 

 _Who am I kidding_ , the aqua penguin sighed. _This feels like a date._

 

Basically, him and the most wanted polar bear on the island were supposed to come together tonight for dinner. Why?

 

_Intel gathering... stuff…_

 

At least, that was what 404 told himself. It _was_ that, but it felt a little more like a date. This penguin was oddly close to Herbert, to a point where the both of them had considered each other as— dare I say— friends. Herbert would never admit it, but there wasn’t really a need for that, anyways, as 404 figured through intuition.

 

One may think, _ah, so he’s friends with the enemy? That’s an interesting tactic._ It would be, indeed, if that were his actual initial thoughts. The truth is, 404 was quite in love with the suspect at large, a very curious situation for him as a PSA agent. The penguin had saw him as something beyond a pesky disturbance to the island, and decided to treat him kindly. Little did he know at that time, that he was falling head over heels for Herbert. Once he realized, he attempted to deny it, but eventually accepted it, a bit anxious about having such feelings. It was a good thing that he had done a somewhat decent job keeping that secret to himself.

 

They liked to visit one another fairly frequently, many of those times nowadays outside of 404’s work. However, this time, it was safe to say that it was related to his job. Given that the mission was to basically collect information on Herbert’s current plans, 404 decided to take this as an opportunity to approach this in a blatant way. Have dinner together, have a friendly chat. The penguin hadn’t come by in a hot minute due to life being itself, so now was a great time to “catch up,” so to speak. 404 was doing this for his job, yes, but he was also genuinely wondering what the polar bear had been up to lately.

 

 _Kill two birds with one stone, I suppose,_ he mused.

 

Whenever he spent time with Herbert, he typically didn’t report back to HQ about anything, if he could keep from it. Unfortunately, this was one of those times where he must address whatever he saw or heard. Thinking about this, he began to feel a bit bad, but quickly attempted to push the thought aside.

 

“Okay, seriously though!” 404 pointed at the mirror, and his reflection returned the gesture. “This is work related! _Work!_ Work, work, _work!_ Not a date, nope, totally _not_ a date!”

 

He found himself blushing once again. Letting out an exasperated grunt, he stormed out of the bathroom. He threw on his trusty box and turned to his yellow puffle, da Vinci, who was resting on the backrest of the sofa in his living room.

 

“I’m heading out,” the aqua penguin spoke to his fuzzy pet as he waddled towards the door. “You be good, alright?”

 

da Vinci slowly blinked at him in response, sleepy.

 

404 smiled gently at the puffle. “I’ll let ya rest. Goodnight!”

 

And with that, he went out into the night, on his way to Herbert’s Lair.

 

~*~

 

“Good evening, sir. Your total is 1500 coins.”

 

“I didn’t order anything.”

 

“Ah, that’s right!” 404 laughed. “I’m here anyways now, though. So deal with it.”

 

Herbert rolled his eyes. “I was _already_ expecting you, Max.”

 

“I _knooow!_ ” The penguin crossed his wings. “My, so _grumpy!_ ”

 

Herbert let out an indignant sigh. “Just come in.”

 

404 chuckled, hopping off of the platform of the lift. He took off the box that rested upon his head with a soft exhale.

 

“How have you been?” The aqua penguin asked as he set his mask near the lift. “How’s Klutzy? Where is he, anyways?”

 

"He turned in for the night, it seems. It _is_ rather late," The bear spoke. “To answer your question, though, I've been _quite_ busy as of late, working on some truly _brilliant_ projects!”

 

" _Ooh?_ " The penguin chirped, looking up at the bear who towered over him. "Why don't ya tell me all about it?"

 

" _Gladly!_ " Herbert smirked proudly. "Let's sit down. I had just finished preparing dinner right before you arrived."

 

"Excellent, let's go!"

 

The polar bear led 404 to the living area of his lair. It was by all means nothing fancy, but it served its purpose of being what it is, a living room. 404 approached a small chair that stood beside a larger, haphazardly built armchair, clearing the couple of large books that rested upon it. He pulled it out and away from the wall, setting it closer to the armchair that sat beside a lit fireplace, and took a seat.

 

“I’ll be right back,” Herbert spoke before heading off into another room.

 

The penguin sat still, patiently awaiting for his pal to return. He glanced around the lair, taking in the many plants that sat all about the area and the few decorations here and there, listening to the fire in the fireplace sputtering as it lit up the area. Nope, nothing at all extravagant… but it felt comfortable.

 

 _Alright_ , 404 thought to himself, crossing his wings again. _Remember, you gotta collect intel! This isn’t just a date. This is wo— wait, oh my god, did I just seriously call this a date—_

 

404’s thoughts were interrupted by Herbert handing him a plate. The penguin blinked for a moment, glancing up at the bear, with his cheeks growing warm, and then glancing down at the plate.

 

“Ah! Thank you,” He laughed somewhat nervously, taking the food. “What’s this?”

 

“Veggie lasagna. It’s a personal recipe,” Herbert boasted, easing into the armchair with a sigh.

 

“Oh! Well, it looks really good!” 404 smiled. “I know you’re a great cook.”

 

“Indeed I am!”

 

404 picked up his fork and took a bite. “ _HOT!_ ” He yelped, clearly showing that he had forgotten to blow on it prior to eating.

 

“Quiet down!” Herbert groaned.

 

“I’m sorry! You didn’t say it was hot!” The penguin whined.

 

“I figured that you would of known it was hot.”

 

“Herbert, does it look like I am a penguin who knows anything?”

 

“No.”

 

“ _EXACT—_ wait, wow. _Rude._ ” 404 and Herbert looked at each other for a moment before the both of them began snickering. They were used to this kind of bantering.

 

“Anyways, so…” 404 began. “You said you’ve been busy, huh? Tell me all about it!”

 

“Of course, let me tell you about my most genius plan _yet!_ ” Herbert began.

 

404 sat and listened as Herbert began going on a monologue, absentmindedly (but remembering to blow) shoving forkfuls of lasagna into his mouth.

 

He did listen to him rather intently at first, however, he began to get distracted by his own thoughts. The aqua penguin watched the polar bear as he talked and talked, filled with passion and although acting a _tad_ pompous, 404 was just glad to see that Herbert was happy with himself.

 

It made his heart feel warm, but he also became a bit annoyed at his own feelings. _Dammit, I’m supposed to be listening_ , 404 furrowed his brows. _Of everyone out there… why do I have to be in love with_ this _guy?_

 

He shoved another bite into his mouth, attempting to regain his focus. 404 looked up at Herbert’s face as he continued to lecture. Briefly, his eyes met his, and 404 immediately stiffened up, quickly averting his gaze.

 

 _Good_ lord _,_ the penguin’s face immediately reddened. _Why does he have to be so pretty?!_

 

Now 404 could feel that Herbert was looking directly at him. For a moment, not a single word was uttered, until the bear decided to ask,

 

“Would you care for a drink?”

 

404 turned to look at him again. “...Uh, sure. What do you have?”

 

“Just some merlot,” Herbert replied.

 

“Mer— _who?_ ”

 

The bear sighed. “Red wine.”

 

404 paused. “...Oh! Wine, huh?” He tilted his head to the side. “I don’t think I’ve ever had wine.”

 

“I figured you wouldn’t have,” Herbert began to stand up. “That’s why I picked this one!”

 

“Y’know, you seem like exactly the kind of guy who would enjoy wine.” 404 chuckled.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Nothing, nothing, just saying.” The penguin flashed him a coy smile. “Anyway, bring it out, I’m all curious now.”

 

Herbert nodded and headed off into the other room again, and 404 suddenly thought about his decision. _Crap, I forgot I was technically on a mission_ , the aqua penguin realized.   _Heh, I’m quite useless, aren’t I?_

 

The polar bear entered the room again with two wine glasses in one paw, while the other held presumably what was the merlot.

 

“Fancy,” 404 giggled.

 

“Well, _I’m_ fancy,” Herbert mused as he began pouring the dark red fluid into one of the glasses. He then handed said glass to the penguin. 404 took it from him carefully, examining the drink.

 

“...It smells.” 404 remarked. He looked over and saw Herbert narrow his eyes. "Well, I didn't say it smells _bad,_ did I?"

 

Sighing, he took a sip, and then immediately halted, surprised by the strange, new flavor.

 

"What do you think?" Herbert asked as he poured himself a glass.

 

“Hm—” The penguin swallowed, pausing to think about it. “I think… I actually don’t mind it?”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah,” 404 peered into his glass. “Folks often tell me that wine is nasty. This isn’t as bad as they make it out to be. It tastes kind of like cherries.”

 

“That one has cherries in it,” Herbert took a drink from his own glass.

 

“Well, that would make sense, then.” The penguin chuckled. He took another sip, setting his plate off to the side.

 

_Surely, if I be careful, everything should be fine._

 

~*~

 

“ _Hmm~_ ” 404 sighed. “I-I think the taste is like… _growing_ , onto me… I want some _more…_ ”

 

“...I think you should be careful, Max.” Herbert warned. “Finish that glass and we’ll see.”

 

The penguin was on his second glass, and the effects were kicking in. He let out a soft giggle.

 

“You really care about me, huh~?” He purred, his face feeling all warm. Herbert didn’t say anything.

 

“ _Hmmmm…~_ It’s okay to care about people, y-y’know?” 404 took another sip. “I do it all the time! I care about _everybody_ , man. _Everybody!_ ” He turned to look Herbert in the eyes, something the both of them knew that 404 didn’t take joy in doing. The penguin studied the bear, who sat there looking back at him, glass in paw and looking a bit rosy-faced, himself. The room around them was illuminated by the now dim but warm, orange glow of the lit fireplace the two sat at, the air feeling warm and peacefully still.

 

“...I especially care about _you_ , y’know…” 404 found himself saying.

 

The room became silent. The aqua penguin finished off his glass… and suddenly, found himself tearing up.

 

“I— ...I care about you, so _much_.” His voice trembled.

 

“A-are you crying…?”

 

“ _MAYBE_ ,” 404 wailed. “I—... i-it’s not sadness… I’m just… _JUST..._ ”

 

He blubbered softly for a moment, trying to find his words… Until the next thing he knew, he was lifted up, and suddenly surrounded by something extremely soft. Soft, and quite warm…

 

“H-huh…?” The penguin looked around, dazed. It took him a moment, but he soon discovered that he was in Herbert’s arms. He looked up at his friend’s face, his vision slightly faltering.

 

“ _Mm…_ Herbert?”

 

“Y-yeah?” The bear had averted his gaze, seeming as if he was _trying_ to appear crabby.

 

“I-I—… holy shit, your fur is so _soft..._ ” 404 mumbled, slightly curling up into his arms, still tearing up.

 

“Thank you.” Herbert nodded, now looking as if he was trying to not crack a smile. “I like to groom it frequently.”

 

The penguin giggled in between silent sobs. “You j-just… have your shit together, man.” He buried his face into his chest. “I love that so much…”

 

404 looked up at Herbert, and the polar bear looked back down at the penguin he had taken into his arms. Said penguin looked at him misty-eyed, but with tenderness in his gaze as he gently pressed his flipper against his chest. He began to open his mouth to say something, but paused.

 

Attempting to think about his next action in this intoxicated state, he came to the conclusion that, it was _now_ , or _never_.

 

“...I— …I love _you_ , Herbert.” 404 began. “... _Romantically_ . I love you so _much_ …”

 

Herbert blinked, admittedly a bit surprised. Before he could say anything, 404 kept on.

 

“Y-you’re stubborn… you’re arrogant… you’re a pain in the ass, yes… but, you’re also so smart, so n-nice to talk to when you are up for it, so… so lovely… I love it. I-I love _all_ of _you_ .” His voice shook again, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks. “I… bet this sounds really weird, coming from a PSA agent, h-huh? I-I know _I_ think it sounds weird… I could probably lose my job for this.”

 

A bitter smile came upon 404’s face. “T-truth is… I’m... technically on the job as we speak… But, because I’m a _stupid_ , _lousy_ agent, I let my own feelings get in the way…” The penguin looked away. “I—… I d-didn’t even remember to start recording… our c-conversation… S-so, no need to worry about anything, I—… I guess…

 

“But, now you know how I feel. I’ve kept this in for s-so long…” He sniffled. “So long… it feels good, to just… just... _say_ it."

 

404 let out a shaky sigh, squirming around slightly.

 

“Anyways, I—… I don’t expect you to feel th-the same... at all…” Upon speaking those words, the penguin felt a pang of sorrow and regret in his chest, causing more tears to fall. “I-I… I—… possibly just made things extremely weird, huh? ...I’m sorry… I’m… so sor—”

 

Before he could finish, he felt Herbert abruptly tilt his face upwards towards his. Their eyes met once again, and 404 felt a tad dizzy, with his heart pounding in his chest. They stayed like that for only a moment, a moment that felt like an eternity for both of them.

 

“...You’re quite drunk.” Herbert murmured.

 

404 grinned weakly. “Heh, yeah.”

 

And with that, the bear leaned in, gently pressing his lips against the penguin’s beak.

 

The two stayed like that for a little while. 404 pressed his body against Herbert’s without a thought, his heart fluttering in his chest. Herbert carefully stroked his pal’s cheek as he kissed him, sighing softly.

 

Eventually, the two pulled away, their eyes locked with one another’s. The two stayed silent for a little while, just looking at each other lovingly, gently, with the sound of the fireplace softly crackling and snapping in the background.

 

404 soon spoke up with a shy, feeble giggle. “Th-that… That was pretty gay~”

 

“...Why are you like this?” Herbert sighed, and 404 let out another laugh.

 

“I have no clue~” He replied, shifting around a bit in the bear’s arms before resting his head onto his chest. “P-probably because I-I have no idea how to react to this…”

 

The polar bear watched as his friend got comfortable, listening to as his quiet chuckling become whimpers again. He rubbed his back tenderly.

 

“...It’s a good thing I love you, too, Max.”

 

Much to his surprise, 404 let out a sob in response. Unsure of what to do, Herbert just kept rubbing the penguin’s back, rocking him carefully. Eventually, he quieted down.

 

“Can you stay the night?” The bear asked.

 

“ _Mmm…_ Yeah… I fed my puffle and everything b-before I left…” 404 mumbled. Herbert nodded, leaning back in the armchair he sat upon.

 

With 404 snuggled into his pal’s fur, and Herbert holding him close in his arms, the two ended up drifting off to sleep, blissfully unaware of how things might be the next morning.

**Author's Note:**

> jhdsjhasdjhdsafjggjas???? hi uh this is the first fic of shipping my oc 404 with herbert that i've actually finished and gotten to a decently polished state?? hhh im nervous so dont laugh too hard pls thanks lol
> 
> uhh i just wanted to mention that while writing this i listened to a lot of the slower songs on Caravan Palace's album "Robot", song like "Midnight", "Human Leather Shoes for Crocodile Dandies", "Lay Down", etc... and i also listened to "We Gonna Party" by Cranky for some reason lmao idk its been that time of year
> 
> also i wanna thank my gf for the title and beta reading!!!!


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